Children aged 5 to 7
Children of this age are starting to feel more ‘grown up’. But they still have a long way to go before they are ready to do many of the things adults do. They are not ready yet to walk to school alone or to cycle in traffic. They are still easily distracted and may run across roads when they see their friends.
Did you know that children aged 5-7…
- Are getting better at judging risks but often over-estimate their abilities.
- Can’t judge speed or distances accurately.
- Are old enough to understand simple rules. And to start learning how to tackle small everyday hazards. But should always be supervised by adults as they are learning.
- May be ready to help with simple jobs at home. But lack the strength and skills of an adult. And need careful supervision if carrying out tasks that involve hot food and drink.
- May start to challenge some of the things their parents tell them – as they realise their friends’ families do things differently.
Top safety tips for children aged 5 to 7 - Quick links to:
Falls
- Teach children to hold the hand rail when going up and down stairs.
- Don’t let children play on stairs. And encourage them not to leave toys or other things on stairs
- Discourage children from playing close to windows.
- If you have a balcony, never let children play there or go out there alone. And don’t let children climb or lean over the rails.
House fires
Tips for preventing fires apply to all ages. For information go to fire safety [link to house fires internal page]
Burns and scalds
- Get a thermostatic mixing valve fitted to your tap. This controls the temperature at which water comes out. If this isn’t possible, run cold water first and add hot water afterwards.
- When you are cooking, use the rings at the back of the cooker and turn pan handles towards the back. This way they can’t be grabbed or knocked over by active children.
- It is still dangerous to leave lighters and matches lying around. But, once your child reaches 7, you may want to start teaching them how to light matches safely under your supervision. Because this makes matches less fascinating.
For more information about burns and scalds [link to burns and scalds internal page]
Choking
- Teach children not to run with food and sweets in their mouths.
Cuts
- Wherever possible use safety glass in doors and windows. Active children can easily run into them.
- Keep scissors and knives out of children’s reach. Teach children how to use them safely – and supervise them when they use them.
Drowning
- Don’t leave children under eight years-old alone in or near water.
- Teach your child to swim. But don’t rely on arm bands or swim jackets to keep your child safe. They are designed to help a child learn to swim – not to keep them afloat.
- Teach children not to run at the edge of swimming pools.
Road safety
- The law says that children under 135cm (about 4ft 5in) in height who are under 12 years old must use an appropriate child car seat or booster seat – even on short journeys.
- If your child is more than 135cm tall, they can use an adult seat belt. But a booster seat may help the seat belt to lie on the child’s body properly.
- When your child’s eyes are above the level of the back of the seat, it is time to move from a child car seat to a booster seat.
- Teach children to cross roads safely. Make learning about road safety a fun experience for your child.
- But don’t expect them to take responsibility for their own safety. Children this age should always have an adult with them when crossing the road, as they can’t judge speed or distances accurately.
- While children may remember road safety rules, they may not understand them nor obey them reliably.
- Set a good example when you cross the road, so they don’t learn bad habits from you.
- Encourage children to wear cycle helmets all the time when riding their bikes – this creates a good habit for when they are ready to start riding on the roads.
- Don’t allow children to ride bicycles in traffic at this age.
For more information about road safety